| Australia's
largest elite genetics supplier
Meatmasters
COMPOSITION
OF BLOOD TYPE AND DEVELOPMENT OF MEATMASTERS.
Meatmasters
must be the one breed, bred with only one thing in mind
and that is profitability. The Meatmaster must just
have a percentage of Damara blood in it and that the
rest can be that of any other sheep breed. The insistence
of Damara blood in the Meatmaster is due to the fact
that two of our most important selection criteria namely
a strong herd instinct and a hair covering with an underlying
coat of fluffily like wool with natural shedding ability
to keep sheep neat and healthy will only be achieved
by having enough Damara blood in the Meatmasters.
At
this stage most Meatmasters were developed by crossing
Damaras with Dorpers with the White Dorper cross probably
giving the best result. Some breeders also used Van
Rooys, SA Mutton Merino's and some others. No matter
what way you intend breeding your Meatmasters, it is
vitally important to at all times bear in mind the breed
standards and selection norms of the Meatmaster as these
will have to be adhered to strictly as they form the
basis for the breed. The Meatmaster sets the breed standard
and how you intend to achieve it as a breeder is up
to you.
BREED
STANDARDS:
A.
Coat colour and skin pigment:
Any colour or combination of colours is acceptable.
Good skin pigmentation around the eyes and over the
ears is however essential.
B.
Head and horns:
Ewes must be feminine tending to be polled. Rams must
be masculine also tending to be polled. Horns in both
sexes are however acceptable.
C.
Coat covering:
Mainly short shiny hair with an underlying blanket of
fluffy fine wool.
The breed must never be shorn thus natural shedding
ability of coat is essential.
D.
Conformation and legs:
The sheep must be of average size with a functional
efficient body conformation and well placed legs with
excellent walking ability.
E. Tail:
The tail must have a good attachment, preferably not
be longer than the hock and have a neat wedge shape
with only a moderate amount of fat. It must never be
necessary to have the tail taken off.
F.
Herd instinct:
The breed must have a strong herd instinct. This is
vital for better management in rugged bush or mountainous
regions. It prevents small groups wandering away on
their own and going through fences. It also helps for
the group to protect themselves and their lambs from
predators.
A
quick glance at the above breed standards confirms the
fact that there is no breed, not even the Dorper, that
at present dominates this category that has remotely
the same breed standard. Take note of the fact that
in total contrast to other breeds, it is nowhere stated
what the ears must look like, what the neck and the
shoulder attachment must be or for that matter the shape
of the fore quarter, hind quarter, or any other body
part. We simply state a good functional efficient body
conformation. We are determined once and for all to
breed a profitable sheep, then learn to love and like
what we have bred and not just to try and breed another
sheep pleasing to the eye.
AIMS
OF BREEDING AND SELECTION:
Meatmasters
will be selected to achieve the following:
Highly
fertile sheep.
Good mothers that rear their lambs adequately.
Virile rams with excellent serving ability.
Sheep with a good walking ability.
Lambs that will reach a slaughter mass of 15-25kg as
soon as possible.
An average grading of A3 must be achieved at above slaughter
masses.
In all aspects it must be an easy care sheep. No shearing,
tail cutting, minimum dosing, inoculation and dipping.
CONCLUSION:
The slogan of the Meatmaster is NATURE'S MONEYMAKER.
The Meatmaster is not just new but that it is also entirely
different. Different in looks, different in performance
and very different as regards breeding strategy.
|
